Fat necrosis in the abdomen after surgery close to the pancreas: Potential false-positive on positron emission tomography

F-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) is widely used for staging and restaging patients with various malignancies. A number of interpretive pitfalls have been described, including inflammation, infection, and variations in physiological tracer uptake pattern. We describe a false-positive scan in a patient with adenocarcinoma of the duodenum, who underwent a pyloric sparing Whipple procedure. In interpreting a study in this setting, fat necrosis should appear in the differential diagnosis because surgery in and around the pancreas is thought to potentially cause lipase release, leading to fat necrosis. Copyright © 2006 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.